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Get Financial News UpdatesSat, 25 May 2019 07:06:35 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.104 Savvy Investing Lessons You Can Learn From Game Of Throneshttp://financialnewsspot.com/4-savvy-investing-lessons-you-can-learn-from-game-of-thrones/
http://financialnewsspot.com/4-savvy-investing-lessons-you-can-learn-from-game-of-thrones/#respondSat, 25 May 2019 07:06:35 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/4-savvy-investing-lessons-you-can-learn-from-game-of-thrones/Game of Thrones, HBO’s show of the decade, is finally over. The fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s books has enthralled audiences around the world for almost a decade, but it’s now time to say goodbye. To commemorate the farewell, here are four lessons from Game of Thrones that you can apply when investing […]

Game of Thrones, HBO’s show of the decade, is finally over. The fantasy series based on George R.R. Martin’s books has enthralled audiences around the world for almost a decade, but it’s now time to say goodbye. To commemorate the farewell, here are four lessons from Game of Thrones that you can apply when investing (obviously, spoilers for the entire series below):

1. Prepare For The Unexpected

Game of Thrones was a masterclass in creating unexpected moments. One of the most shocking was Ned Stark’s execution back in season one. The main character, who many believed would continue to drive the show forward, was suddenly executed, never to be seen on the show again.

Unexpected twists and turns are a common occurrence in the market. A single tweet can send the entire market higher or lower, and even when everything seems right – bad news is always potentially waiting around the corner.

Proper risk management is a critical aspect of being a successful investor. Not being too invested can ensure that you manage to keep a standard of living through market downturns. Diversifying – not having one major dominant position – can also save your portfolio when something almost inevitably goes wrong.

2. Don’t Get Complacent After A Few Wins

In Game of Thrones, you win or you die. You mostly die, if we’re honest. Another tragedy hit House Stark when in season three Rob decided not to marry Walder Frey’s daughter. His decision came after a few wins against the Lannisters, and his false sense of security was his downfall.

The markets offer us plenty of opportunities to feel confident in our trading abilities. It’s easy to get carried away too fast after a few good trades, only to lose it all when the stakes are at their highest.

Always be aware of your mental state when investing, and make sure to strictly apply your investment thesis. Carefully thinking about each investment decision and trade can make sure you don’t end up like Rob Stark.

3. Everyone Makes Mistakes, Live To Fight Another Day

Over the course of the 8 seasons, many mistakes have been made. Tyrion’s decisions to send Jon to capture a wight beyond the wall or to believe Cersei would send troops north were two of his biggest mistakes. Nevertheless, Tyrion ended the series as the king’s right hand because he always managed to keep his cool, collect himself and escape any dangerous situation he found himself in.

No investor can stay mistake-free for long, and everyone makes bad decisions now and again. Good investors keep a journal of investment decisions and can look back and understand why a certain investment didn’t pan out. Learning to live with mistakes and living to fight another day is another trait of successful investors.

4. Knowledge Is Power

Maybe the most iconic quote of the series, “knowledge is power” was proven true in the finale, when Bran Stark was elected king by his fellow lords and ladies. The main reason for crowning Bran was his wisdom, as his three-eyed raven abilities has turned him into a living history book.

Knowledge is incredibly important when investing, and there are a multitude of numbers, facts, and ratios a person needs to be familiar with in order to invest successfully. Spending time learning to invest smartly will give you a better return on investment than anything you’ll ever spend time on. Acquiring the knowledge to help you navigate the markets wisely in order to achieve the results you seek is perhaps the single most important of the Game of Thrones investing lessons.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/4-savvy-investing-lessons-you-can-learn-from-game-of-thrones/feed/0Nothing Has Changed; A Hard Brexit Is Coming, By Accident Or Designhttp://financialnewsspot.com/nothing-has-changed-a-hard-brexit-is-coming-by-accident-or-design/
http://financialnewsspot.com/nothing-has-changed-a-hard-brexit-is-coming-by-accident-or-design/#respondFri, 24 May 2019 14:46:57 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/nothing-has-changed-a-hard-brexit-is-coming-by-accident-or-design/So, what has changed for U.K. assets now that Theresa May has succumbed to the inevitable and announced her resignation as Prime Minister? The pound’s reaction – a pale, knee-jerk bounce after a loss of nearly 4% in the last three weeks against the euro and dollar – gives the answer: not much. The foreign […]

So, what has changed for U.K. assets now that Theresa May has succumbed to the inevitable and announced her resignation as Prime Minister?

The pound’s reaction – a pale, knee-jerk bounce after a loss of nearly 4% in the last three weeks against the euro and dollar – gives the answer: not much.

The foreign exchange market’s received wisdom since before the referendum has been that Brexit will do long-term damage to the U.K. economy and it has followed from there that sterling reacts negatively every time a Hard Brexit becomes more likely and rallies strongly any time the U.K. looks like having second thoughts about the whole thing.

Right now, a Hard Brexit is looking more likely. As much as anything in politics is certain, May is certain to be replaced by a more ardent Brexiteer.

A YouGov poll last week showed ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was the preferred candidate of 39% of Conservative Party members, 26 points ahead of former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. But Johnson first has to convince Conservative lawmakers he can lead them, something they refused to do back in 2016 when his decision to back Brexit undercut then-Prime Minister David Cameron.

“The modest support sterling and U.K. rates have enjoyed since her announcement is somewhat remarkable,” said Tim Graf, head of macro strategy EMEA at State Street (NYSE:). “We suspect that support will prove temporary.”

Graf noted that parliament “has almost no options at its disposal to check any future Prime Minister who wants to leave the European Union without a deal.” (For an exhaustive analysis of why not, read this blog post from earlier this week by Maddy Thimont Jack, a senior researcher at the Institute for Government in London.)

But if the new PM won’t be constrained by procedure, he or she will be constrained by politics and economics. The opposition to No Deal from business, from sitting lawmakers and from the broader electorate is real. The Conservatives will have lost votes to pro-Remain parties as well as Nigel Farage’s Brexit party in this week’s European elections, and the actual disruption from a Hard Brexit is something no Prime Minister will want to own.

Faced with that reality, the new leader will face the same choices: a) deliver Brexit with much economic pain, losing the next election b) abandon it at a cost of dividing the Conservative Party, losing the next general election or c) somehow kick the can further down the road, an option which by no means escapes the downside of options a) and b).

There are ways out.

The new Prime Minister could call yet another general election in pursuit of a clear mandate for No Deal, as May did in 2017 (to disastrous effect). Another would be to call another referendum to “confirm” the popular will for No Deal, although that would inevitably divide both nation and party again. But either could provide the political cover for either pushing Brexit through or retreating from it.

Awkwardly, further dithering is not really an option either. Rem Korteweg, a policy analyst with the Clingendael think tank in the Netherlands, argues that the likelihood of continued paralysis in the U.K. puts the country’s fate back in the hands of the EU. The remaining 27 may be more inclined to listen to French President Emmanuel Macron the next time the U.K. asks for more time to play politics with itself and to refuse any further extension of the deadline for Brexit.

At that point, a project that promised prosperity and freedom would finally have ended – as the currency market never fails to remind us – by leaving the U.K. poorer and at the mercy of bigger trading blocs.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/nothing-has-changed-a-hard-brexit-is-coming-by-accident-or-design/feed/0Capstone Turbine Corp is leading the charge in a green energy revolutionhttp://financialnewsspot.com/capstone-turbine-corp-is-leading-the-charge-in-a-green-energy-revolution/
http://financialnewsspot.com/capstone-turbine-corp-is-leading-the-charge-in-a-green-energy-revolution/#respondFri, 24 May 2019 10:37:24 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/capstone-turbine-corp-is-leading-the-charge-in-a-green-energy-revolution/
Capstone holds more than 100 patents and produces a range of innovative microturbines that generate clean, green electricity
A new market for Capstone microturbines is blossoming among cannabis producers
Capstone expects to see both product and aftermarket service revenue grow in coming quarters.
[…]

Capstone holds more than 100 patents and produces a range of innovative microturbines that generate clean, green electricity

A new market for Capstone microturbines is blossoming among cannabis producers

Capstone expects to see both product and aftermarket service revenue grow in coming quarters.

Capstone Turbine Corp () is a multi-faceted energy company that manufactures low-emission, clean-energy microturbine technology for consumer and commercial use globally.

Based in Van Nuys, California, Capstone holds more than 100 patents and produces a range of innovative microturbines that generate clean, green electricity for anything from heating and chilling water for hot showers and air conditioning to powering new generation green skyscrapers.

CEO Darren Jamison compares Capstone’s microturbines, which have only one moving part, to small jet engines that produce electricity and heat while still being green – powered by a range of alternative clean fuels including natural gas, biogas and propane.

The microturbines range from a 30-kilowatt, consumer-level unit up to 200-megawatts – enough to power skyscrapers.

In New York City alone, the company’s microturbines are used in hundreds of buildings, including two units at Hudson Yards, One Vanderbilt next to Grand Central Terminal, as well as Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn and big businesses such as Fresh Direct.

“We make electricity cheaper than they can buy from the grid,” explains Jamison.

With a legacy in the oil and gas space, Capstone saw an opportunity to join the green energy revolution when oil prices plummeted to around $30 per barrel from about $125 in 2014, putting a dent in the business and prompting diversification.

With 9,000 machines in 73 countries, including Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa, Europe, Fiji, Mali and other underserved parts of the world, Jamison cheerfully compares Capstone to the United Nations in the scope of its international energy footprint.

Its 932 megawatts shipped have generated enough energy to power every home in Philadelphia. And with electricity costs rising globally, demand for the company’s microturbines is growing.

Inflection point

A new market for Capstone microturbines is blossoming among cannabis producers, who are renting spaces to build new grow houses but can’t get the energy they need from local utilities, which leads them to Capstone’s microturbines.

“Our product creates more energy while still being green,” Jamison says, and that appeals to a new generation of cannabis growers who like “the green aspect of our product.”

Demand is highest, he says, in Colorado, California and increasingly in Canada, where medical and recreational marijuana has already been legalized.

Outlook

As of December 31, 2018, the company had $16.7 million in cash and equivalents, $13.2 million in accounts receivable, with total inventories of $19.5 million. It recently announced a plan to preserve operating losses as future tax write-offs.

Product revenue in the second quarter has jumped 22% year over year, reaching the highest level in five quarters, and total revenue grew 12%.

In February, Capstone secured a $30 million three-year note from to replace a $15 million credit facility.

Capstone expects to see both product and aftermarket service revenue grow in coming quarters.

But the top line is the main goal, as the company has worked hard to get operational costs down.

“That’s our goal for the next year,” he says. “To really grow revenue, to grow our top line.”

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/capstone-turbine-corp-is-leading-the-charge-in-a-green-energy-revolution/feed/0Is The Oil Crash From Trade War A ‘Bonus’ Or Something Trump Planned All Along?http://financialnewsspot.com/is-the-oil-crash-from-trade-war-a-bonus-or-something-trump-planned-all-along/
http://financialnewsspot.com/is-the-oil-crash-from-trade-war-a-bonus-or-something-trump-planned-all-along/#respondFri, 24 May 2019 08:37:12 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/is-the-oil-crash-from-trade-war-a-bonus-or-something-trump-planned-all-along/If there’s one person who’s enjoying the trade war with China, it’s Donald Trump. The U.S. President made that clear two weeks back: “I love the position we’re in”, he said as he gushed about the revenue the government would likely make from his higher tariffs—which economists dispute anyway. Trump was saying all this even […]

If there’s one person who’s enjoying the trade war with China, it’s Donald Trump. The U.S. President made that clear two weeks back: “I love the position we’re in”, he said as he gushed about the revenue the government would likely make from his higher tariffs—which economists dispute anyway. Trump was saying all this even as Beijing planned to retaliate against his multiple hostilities, well before the escalation of his fight with Huawei.

But there’s something else Trump is possibly enjoying now aside from punishing China on trade, although he isn’t tweeting about it, like he used to. And that’s lower oil prices.

One of the greatest casualties of this week’s trade war-related market ruptions has been oil.

WTI 15-Min Chart – Powered by TradingView

On Wednesday, , the benchmark for U.S. crude, fell 6%, crashing below its $60 per barrel support of the past month. , the U.K.-traded global benchmark for oil, slumped 5% to below its $70-per-barrel perch. It was the worst trading day for crude since the beginning of the year and after the start of OPEC production cuts in December. As of early Asian trading on Friday, WTI was destined for a weekly drop of 7% and Brent 6%, though year-to-date they remained up 29% and 27% respectively.

Being one of the biggest risk assets in the macro space, it isn’t surprising for oil to be one of the most vulnerable in the present environment.

Why Would Trump Escalate Trade War Now?

What remains ambiguous though is the timing of the whole thing.

Trump hasn’t been clear on why he chose to up the ante against the Chinese tech sector at this particular time, other than making it seem like a progression of his efforts to rein in a stubbornly wayward China on trade.

Yes, it could be annoying when a party you’ve negotiated with for months appears to be going back on what’s been agreed.

Yet, if history is any guide, China has never been an easy side to outwit on trade.

Trump has been telling his voter base in political rallies of the past few weeks that he remains focused on getting America the “best deal” and the escalation of the trade war was a necessary evil for the greater good of the United States, something he accused his predecessor Barack Obama of wilfully neglecting.

Still, for the president to throw away six months of negotiations that began with his December summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at last year’s G20 in Buenos Aires—especially after repeated assurances by officials from both sides, including Trump, that all was going well and that a deal was imminent—makes little sense to his detractors.

It isn’t surprising then that his rivals might suspect political expediency as Trump’s motivation, given that, even after the end of the Mueller investigation, the president continues to face potential impeachment as Democrats maintain that he obtained Russia’s help to win his 2016 election. This theory is expounded by deeds like his direct aid of $16 billion to U.S. farmers hurt by the trade war. While there’s certainly merit in the award, there’s no mistaking that it could also endear Trump to his voter base, particularly soybean growers in the Midwest, as he preps for his November 2020 reelection.

Low Oil Prices Always On Trump’s Agenda

Like it or not, low oil prices have remained high on the president’s political agenda, regardless of whether the current market crash is an unintended “bonus” of the trade war.

In fact, the efficacy at which Trump’s face-off with China has offset tensions arising from the president’s other battles with Iran and Venezuela—that just a week ago had pushed crude prices to 2019 highs—seems to suggest some astute planning on his part aimed at getting such results, rather than just sheer coincidence.

While Trump hit China with additional tariffs as early as May 5, his latest actions against Huawei only began on May 15. That was just before the May 19 meeting of the OPEC+ alliance in Jeddah that already signaled to the energy world what its outcome would be—that the Saudis had no intention of relaxing output cuts despite achieving a near 40% rally in crude prices this year.

Of course, this week’s belly-up in oil prices wasn’t only caused by China. It was due as much to the surprise U.S. of about 5 million barrels, on the average, for a second running week and muted refinery runs ahead of Monday’s Memorial Day holiday, which typically marks the start of the peak summer driving season in the U.S.

To suggest the president had stalled trade talks with China just to get his way with oil prices may seem offensive to proponents of the Trump administration.

Yet, with analysts often seeing the absence of a trade deal as the only barrier to an unstoppable oil rally that could even push Brent past $90, one might wonder how badly Trump wants that right now.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/is-the-oil-crash-from-trade-war-a-bonus-or-something-trump-planned-all-along/feed/03 Tech Stocks To Avoid If The U.S.-China Trade War Intensifieshttp://financialnewsspot.com/3-tech-stocks-to-avoid-if-the-u-s-china-trade-war-intensifies/
http://financialnewsspot.com/3-tech-stocks-to-avoid-if-the-u-s-china-trade-war-intensifies/#respondFri, 24 May 2019 07:38:57 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/3-tech-stocks-to-avoid-if-the-u-s-china-trade-war-intensifies/Though many analysts are still debating the full impact of the intensifying trade war between the U.S. and China, this dispute is already taking its toll on some of the largest technology companies in the U.S. And with both sides hardening their positions with each passing day, the chances of a near-term resolution of this […]

Though many analysts are still debating the full impact of the intensifying trade war between the U.S. and China, this dispute is already taking its toll on some of the largest technology companies in the U.S.

And with both sides hardening their positions with each passing day, the chances of a near-term resolution of this dispute between the world’s two biggest economies are fading quickly. If this uncertain environment persists, or takes an uglier turn, investors should be ready to adjust their portfolios and trim risky assets. Here are three large technology stocks whose fate is closely tied with China:

1. Apple

The make of iPhone, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:), has a huge stake in this fight and the performance of its shares over the past month reflects that threat. Its stock has, so far, fallen about 13% since U.S. President Donald Trump announced to increase tariffs on Chinese imports to 25% from 10%, prompting China to retaliate. The shares closed down 1.7% yesterday, at $179.66.

China is Apple’s third largest market, bringing in nearly $52 billion in sales in the company’s most recent fiscal year. Worries over the trade war impact on Apple intensified after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co. last week, raising fears that China will again retaliate by targeting Apple and its supply chain.

China’s Commerce Ministry said yesterday that U.S. actions have increased the risk of a trade war, as well as a global economic recession, and cautioned that Beijing will take any steps necessary to protect the interest of Chinese firms.

Presenting a worst-case scenario, Goldman Sachs warned investors yesterday that Apple’s earnings would take a 29% hit if China were to retaliate against the U.S. with a ban on sales of the iPhone maker’s products.

That scenario, in our view, is highly unlikely given Apple’s huge investment in China and its impact on the local economy. But Apple stock will certainly see more weakness if this dispute lingers. Investors should wait for a better entry point to buy Apple stock, which is a good investment for the buy-and-hold investors.

That moment may come in June when President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet at the G20 economic summit in Japan.

2. Tesla

Though the electric carmaker, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:), has been an extremely risky play for the past several months, Wall Street analysts have become more bearish about its future since the trade rivalry between the U.S. and China intensified.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note this week that Tesla stock, which closed yesterday at $195.49, could plunge to as low as $10 in a worst-case scenario. The trade dispute has increased risk for Tesla’s demand forecasts from China, from which the company is hoping to generate around $9 billion in revenues between 2020 and 2024.

But that target will be too ambitious if Beijing retaliates with reprisal tariffs or restrictions. Such a measure could slice Tesla’s sales from China in half and carve off more than $16.4 billion in market value, according to Jonas’ estimates.

Reacting to these negative comments, investors have been dumping Tesla shares, which have lost more than quarter of their value in the past month. Irrespective of China risk, Tesla is a highly speculative stock, given the weakening demand for its Model 3, and the company’s precarious level of cash. Global trade risks have helped to highlight those vulnerabilities, in our view.

3. Qualcomm

Companies that produce chips for smartphones, gaming products, and data-centres are the most highly-exposed to China risk. The U.S. produced about half of the $470 billion worth of chips sold globally last year, and China was the biggest market.

That’s why the entire semiconductor sector has been suffering since the escalation in trade hostilities. One company that’s likely to suffer the most is Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:). The San Diego-based chipmaker got two-third of its sales from China in its most recent fiscal year.

Qualcomm mostly designs its chips in the U.S., but gets them manufactured through its web of subcontractors in Taiwan, Korea and China. These chips then find their way back to China, where they are installed into electronic gadgets, such as smartphones.

Trading at $64.40, QCOM stock has lost about 20% of its value in the past month. Most of the damage to the stock came on Wednesday after a U.S. district judge agreed with the Federal Trade Commission in a case accusing the company of anti-competitive practices. That, combined with the company’s China exposure, makes its stock extremely vulnerable to further downside.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/3-tech-stocks-to-avoid-if-the-u-s-china-trade-war-intensifies/feed/0Democratic presidential hopeful Swalwell goes on Fox News so his parents can see himhttp://financialnewsspot.com/democratic-presidential-hopeful-swalwell-goes-on-fox-news-so-his-parents-can-see-him/
http://financialnewsspot.com/democratic-presidential-hopeful-swalwell-goes-on-fox-news-so-his-parents-can-see-him/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 21:26:16 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/democratic-presidential-hopeful-swalwell-goes-on-fox-news-so-his-parents-can-see-him/As observed from Rep. Eric Swalwell’s vantage point, it begins to seem forgivable that his fellow members of Congress have failed to develop an effective response to the student-loan and college-affordability predicament:
‘[O]ne, over half of Congress is made up of millionaires and, two, most of the people in Congress went to college at […]

As observed from Rep. Eric Swalwell’s vantage point, it begins to seem forgivable that his fellow members of Congress have failed to develop an effective response to the student-loan and college-affordability predicament:

‘[O]ne, over half of Congress is made up of millionaires and, two, most of the people in Congress went to college at a time when it was affordable. … So they’re completely — or doubly — disconnected from the problem.’

Rep. Eric Swalwell, on Pod Save America

A reason it’s a wider concern for society, in the Democratic presidential hopeful’s view, is that the financial burden causes college graduates to defer dreams of entrepreneurship and home ownership — to the extent that ”how big is your debt” is “like a first-date conversation now.”

His remedies? To (a.) bring the interest rate to zero percent on federal student loans, and (b.) allow employers to contribute tax-free, in the manner of a retirement-savings contribution, toward employee student-loan debt as part of a competitive benefits package. Further, community college should, per Swalwell, be tuition-free, and a four-year university education should be debt-free for those who engage in work-study during their undergraduate years and then fulfill a commitment to perform a prescribed number of community-service hours early in their careers. “So you work for college, [and] college works for you.”

Seeking to present his candidacy as one of “go big” ideas and goals, Swalwell went on, in the podcast interview conducted earlier this month, to pitch, for health care, a buy-in and, for the “national crisis” of gun violence, a buyback.

Crooked Media/YouTube

Rep. Eric Swalwell speaks with Tommy Vietor on the video version of the podcast Pod Save America.

A public-option buy-in for health insurance is, in Swalwell’s formulation, “Medicare for anyone who wants it.”

He has proposed an assault-rifle ban that’s coupled with a market-rate buyback, while supporting background checks and a national firearm registry and holding gun manufacturers legally liable. “I say, keep your pistols, your long guns, your rifles,” he said. Assault rifles, he said, “are just different” and represent “100% of the fear that a student has when they’re in their classroom.”

Swalwell, who represents a California district in the House but hails from western Iowa, explained that his parents had been known to display a Trump-Pence magnet on their refrigerator. “I hope that’s come down since I announced,” he said.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/democratic-presidential-hopeful-swalwell-goes-on-fox-news-so-his-parents-can-see-him/feed/0As stocks gyrate, which U.S. markets are closed on Memorial Day?http://financialnewsspot.com/as-stocks-gyrate-which-u-s-markets-are-closed-on-memorial-day/
http://financialnewsspot.com/as-stocks-gyrate-which-u-s-markets-are-closed-on-memorial-day/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 20:00:00 +0000https://financialnewsspot.com/as-stocks-gyrate-which-u-s-markets-are-closed-on-memorial-day/Getty Images
A U.S. flag frames a statue from the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC. U.S. financial markets will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day to honor and remember the brave men and women who died serving their country. For some investors, it will be a much-needed reprieve, with stocks struggling […]

A U.S. flag frames a statue from the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC.

U.S. financial markets will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day to honor and remember the brave men and women who died serving their country.

For some investors, it will be a much-needed reprieve, with stocks struggling to find support in a market battered by fears of an intensifying trade war between two economic titans—the U.S. and China.

Ian Winer, an advisory board member of Drexel Hamilton, believes that the U.S. is severely handicapped in its standoff with China.

“They are an autocracy and we are not. They can tell their people whatever they want. Our pain is felt real time in the press and our data. They control the media. We do not. If a farmer over there speaks up, they disappear. If a soybean farmer feels it here, it could swing an election,” he said.

Winer noted that the prolonged fight is already making itself felt on the U.S. economy with “stunningly” weak manufacturing numbers.

An IHS Markit flash survey of U.S. manufacturers sank to a nine-and-a-half year low of 50.6 in May from 52.6 in April while its survey of service-oriented companies such as banks and retailers tumbled to a 39-month low of 50.8 from 52.7.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/as-stocks-gyrate-which-u-s-markets-are-closed-on-memorial-day/feed/0Beyond Meat’s burger could pose health risks to people with peanut allergies — even though it doesn’t contain peanutshttp://financialnewsspot.com/beyond-meats-burger-could-pose-health-risks-to-people-with-peanut-allergies-even-though-it-doesnt-contain-peanuts/
http://financialnewsspot.com/beyond-meats-burger-could-pose-health-risks-to-people-with-peanut-allergies-even-though-it-doesnt-contain-peanuts/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 19:40:19 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/?p=22852Reuters/Courtesy of Beyond Meat
The Beyond Burger is made of plants and contains no animal products, but it does contain pea-protein isolate. Beyond Meat, the maker of the Beyond Burger
BYND, +4.96%
[…]

and restaurant chains like TGI Friday’s and Carl’s Jr., doesn’t contain any peanuts.

But people with food allergies should proceed with care, according to Utah-based Nadia Pflaum, an investigative producer with KUTV 2News in Salt Lake City. Pflaum said she had to take Benadryl after eating a Beyond Burger she purchased at Carl’s Jr. in Salt Lake City.

‘We added cautionary language to both our packaging and website.’

—Statement by Beyond Meat

The ingredient, pea-protein isolate, and some restaurants fail to give allergy warnings, she said. Pflaum said she’s allergic to peanuts, but has never had an issue with peas and didn’t see any warning signs at the restaurant, despite advertisements for the burger.

“Beyond Meat was advertised all over: Outside on the windows, inside on the walls, on place mats, placards and even on the cashiers’ shirts. But nowhere did we see any print, fine or otherwise, that offered any allergy warnings,” KUTV 2News reported.

Beyond Meat and Carl’s Jr. did not immediately return requests for comment, but Beyond Meat told KUTV 2News that its products are labeled in compliance with legal requirements, and that the warning about the presence of peas in its meatless burgers is not required by law.

“We added cautionary language to both our packaging and website,” a spokesperson told the media outlet. “This language appears immediately below the ingredient list, where consumers would typically look to find allergen information on a food package — it is where the FDA-required ‘CONTAINS’ statement for major food allergens would normally appear.”

Pflaum says she experienced wheezing and itching, the same reaction she gets if she accidentally eats a peanut. Beyond Meat labels have a star next to the ingredient “Pea protein isolate” with fine print that reads: “People with severe allergies to legumes like peanuts should be cautious when introducing pea protein into their diet because of the possibility of a pea allergy.”

Meat-substitutes with pea-protein isolate are highly concentrated and potent.

“Only about 5% of people with peanut allergies have a problem with other beans. When they do, those beans can include peas, and having a product that has pea protein might increase their chances of having a problem,” Dr. Scott Sicherer, director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai, told MarketWatch.

Meat-substitute products that contain pea-protein isolate are highly concentrated and potent, and, therefore, may trigger allergic reactions even in people who have never had problems eating peas. “That could be why the intolerances are happening,” Sharon Zarabi, a registered dietitian and nutritionist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City says.

The National Restaurant Association urges consumers to tell food-service employees about their allergies. “Any individual that has a food allergy needs to let their server know to see if the establishment can accommodate their needs,” William Weichelt, director of food safety and industry relations for the National Restaurant Association, told MarketWatch in an email.

“If a food service establishment wants to serve those with food allergies, it needs to be prepared to work with customers to help make them feel comfortable with their selection and that includes knowing what allergens are in the food they prepare,” he added.

Beyond Meat, hot off a soaring IPO, raised at least $240 million at a valuation just shy of $1.5 billion, suggesting that the alternative meat market could have a long-term future. The plant-based or lab-grown meat market could surge to $140 billion over the next decade as new companies make up a 10% share of the $1.4 trillion ,eat market, Barclays said Wednesday.

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]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/beyond-meats-burger-could-pose-health-risks-to-people-with-peanut-allergies-even-though-it-doesnt-contain-peanuts/feed/0Skipping this activity with your kids could make them misbehavehttp://financialnewsspot.com/skipping-this-activity-with-your-kids-could-make-them-misbehave/
http://financialnewsspot.com/skipping-this-activity-with-your-kids-could-make-them-misbehave/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 19:17:55 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/skipping-this-activity-with-your-kids-could-make-them-misbehave/Here’s one way to get parents and toddlers on the same page. People who regularly read with their children say that the little ones are less likely to be hyperactive and disruptive, according to a new study from Rutgers University. What’s more, the moms in this study revealed that more frequent story time sessions also […]

People who regularly read with their children say that the little ones are less likely to be hyperactive and disruptive, according to a new study from Rutgers University. What’s more, the moms in this study revealed that more frequent story time sessions also made them better parents.

Researchers studied 2,165 mother-child pairs from 20 large U.S. cities, and asked the women how often they read to their kids at one and at three years old. The mothers were then interviewed again two years later (when kids were three and five), when they were asked about how often they had to engage in harsh, physically aggressive discipline (such as spanking, hitting, slapping, shaking or pinching) and/or psychologically aggressive discipline (shouting, threatening a spanking, swearing, calling the child “dumb” or threatening to send them away), as well as how their children behaved. (The study also controlled for factors such as parental depression and financial hardship, which can cause or exacerbate negative behaviors in both mother and child.)

DragonImages/iStock

Reading together benefits both parents and kids.

And the families who read together regularly (at least four times a week) were associated with less harsh parenting two years later. This could be in part because the moms who engaged in regular read-together time also reported fewer hyperactive and disruptive behaviors from their kids. But the close physical contact and bonding that forms from poring over the pages of a picture book together has also been shown to improve the quality of parent-child relationships, the authors noted, which can also reduce parental stress.

How often is “regularly,” though? The National Education Association has found that kids who were read to three or four times a week were more likely to count to 20 or higher than kids who were not read to as much (60% vs. 44%). They were also more able to write their own names (54% vs. 40%). The Rutgers study authors recommended reading a book together every day.

After all, reading with children in their infancy and preschool years has been associated with better language skills (such as a more advanced vocabulary) once they go to school, and an increased interest in reading — which, in turn, makes them more likely to reach higher education and attain better economic stability. Illiterate adults, on the other hand, earn 30% to 42% less than their literate counterparts.

Parents should consider sitting down with a traditional print book versus huddling together over an e-book, however, as a recent study found that kids and parents talk and interact less when they’re swiping through a story on a phone or tablet compared to when they turn actual pages bound into a book. And the parents in the study also admitted that they were more likely to give negative asides to their kids while reading e-books, such as telling them “don’t push that button,” instead of discussing the actual story.

“For parents, the simple routine of reading with your child on a daily basis provides not just academic but emotional benefits that can help bolster the child’s success in school and beyond,” said lead researcher Manuel Jimenez, an assistant professor at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s department of pediatrics, in a statement. “Our findings can be applied to programs that help parents and caregivers in underserved areas to develop positive parenting skills.”

Considering children’s print book sales were up about 3% in 2018 over the year before, according to the Association of American Publishers, and IBISWorld expects the $2.3 billion children’s book market to grow 0.9% each year through 2022, however, it looks like plenty of parents have been buying into all of these positive claims.

]]>http://financialnewsspot.com/skipping-this-activity-with-your-kids-could-make-them-misbehave/feed/0Look out, Memorial Day barbecuers — 62,000 pounds of raw beef just got recalled over E. coli concernshttp://financialnewsspot.com/look-out-memorial-day-barbecuers-62000-pounds-of-raw-beef-just-got-recalled-over-e-coli-concerns/
http://financialnewsspot.com/look-out-memorial-day-barbecuers-62000-pounds-of-raw-beef-just-got-recalled-over-e-coli-concerns/#respondThu, 23 May 2019 16:48:58 +0000http://financialnewsspot.com/?p=22845Beef up on food safety before the long weekend. An Illinois-based meat company this week recalled more than 62,000 pounds of raw beef over E. coli concerns, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) — just days before many Memorial Day revelers sink their teeth into grilling season. The […]

An Illinois-based meat company this week recalled more than 62,000 pounds of raw beef over E. coli concerns, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) — just days before many Memorial Day revelers sink their teeth into grilling season.

The Aurora Packing Company’s 62,112 pounds of potentially contaminated meat include steak cuts, brisket, chuck and ribs, according to a list of nearly four dozen recalled products posted online. Their USDA mark of inspection includes the establishment number “EST. 788,” the agency said.

The products in question had been “shipped nationwide for further distribution and processing,” according to the USDA agency, which advised that institutions dispose of the items or bring them back to where they purchased them. Consumers haven’t yet reported any illnesses linked to consumption of the recalled products.

Escherichia coli O157:H7, the foodborne pathogen identified in the recall, is a common E. coli in North America that the federal government has called “the worst type of E. coli.”

iStock/boblin

The USDA this week announced the recall of more than 62,000 pounds of raw beef.

People with such an infection typically begin feeling sick three or four days after consuming the contaminated product, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and symptoms can include bloody diarrhea, vomiting and bad stomach cramps.

While most people recover within a week or so, some infections prove “severe or even life-threatening,” the CDC says.

The FSIS urged people to only consume meat products cooked to a 165°F internal temperature. “The only way to confirm that beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature,” the agency said.

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